Its that time of year. We’ve already had the generic “head lice” notice come home from the district “although no cases have been reported at your school, consider yourselves warned, and stay itchy my friends“… And even better, a measles outbreak in the southern part of the province. MEASLES! You know, one of those things we were all vaccinated against? And as dutiful parents willing to do anything to avoid having your kids get horribly sick, you had your kids vaccinated too…right?

Oh.
Wait.the Internet told you not to…

Well I’m here on the Internet telling you that I think you’re a moron. “Preventable disease”.
I’m posting from my phone this morning so I’m not going to go dig up links and stats, but what you need to know is that the risk of complication from the vaccine is naught but a blip compared to the surety of miserable suffering caused by the illnesses intended to prevent. (Oh, and if your little organic eating ankle biter does get measles, the provincial health authority requires you keep them home and away from the population for 21 days! Neat!)

Now- I’m going to qualify that statement by saying I think the flu shot is mostly bunk- unless you are in a high risk category, filling your system and activating your immune response for something you might or might not get sick with as a healthy adult… Well, thats different. And as adults, we can choose whether to put ourselves at risk for suffering. But when your tiny helpless child erupts in a painful rash and/or itchy pustules and is puking and has a fever of a zillion and five and keeps you up all night for a week… and manages to take down your entire group of bunny hugging Waldorf faceless doll collecting vegan friends and their offspring… Well, don’t say i didn’t warn you.

Yes, it’s that time of year. And if there were a vaccine for generic runny nose and sore throat and chapped lips and constant dry hacking cough- basically if there were a vaccine against school aged children… I would be ALL OVER IT!

I was talking to one of my European friends who explained to me about childhood vaccinations where shes from. “Oh, it’s simple- you don’t have to take your kids in to have them vaccinated, if you don’t, children’s services will come to the house and take them for you!” And forget going to school in some places- no vaccination records, no school. IT’S FOR A REASON!

At the very least, consider this. There are so, so many horrible things in this world that we have no ability to protect our children from. Why would you pass up an opportunity to protect them from potentially deadly childhood sickness?